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It is not cruel to crate a dog. A crate dog is not supposed to be a cage like you find on zoos. In fact, you may consider it the same thing as a playpen for a baby.

If your dog whines when you first put him in his crate it is probably because he would rather be snuggled up close to you.

To crate train you dog, this is what you have to do.

Show and let you dog smell his favorite snack and then lure him into the crate with the treat.

When he goes in, give the treat and leave the door open. Let him go out as he wishes. Repeat this procedure and allow him to enjoy his treat in his crate. You may do this about five times on the first day.

The next step is how to close the crate door. Play with or exercise your dog until he is tired. When it is time for your puppy to take a rest, place a treat and new toy in his crate then close the door after he is in. If he whines, sit on the floor in front of the crate. Talk to him to reassure him that you are still there. Don’t let him out until he calms down or asleep. If he doesn’t sleep but has calmed down for a while, allow him to go out. But don’t let him out when he still whines, cries, barks.

After a few trainings, you may try to leave him for about a minute in his crate and then come back, praising the pup if he’s quiet. Give him a treat for a reward. Repeat this session at 3 minutes, 5 minutes and then up to a half hour.

Practice this as much as you can so that leaving him becomes natural for him. Don’t stay away too long. A puppy cannot be expected to go longer than 3 hours without a potty break and it is very hard to retrain a puppy that is used to soiling his crate.

No! Dogs need to feel safe, and like they have a little place of their own. Crates should not be used as a punishment, but should be paired with positive reinforcement and praise. As long as a dog is not kept in his crate for too long or sees the crate as a bad place, it is far from cruel. And besides, would you rather have your dog crated, or getting into something dangerous? Leaving a dog outside is never good, what if he escaped or was stolen? My dog was crate trained and actually liked her crate. She willingly went in it on command and sometimes laid down in it even when she didn't have to. Eventually, we were able to leave her out of the crate, but the crate really helped in those early years.

Well, puppies that whine when they are not able to be touching or near their owners are usually that way because either they are just arrived and this is all brand new, or the moment the dog is out of the crate - its on top of you. Ask yourself - when puppy is in the house with you - what are you doing.

Crates are boundary training - there is at least for most of us, a requirement to be in a room without our dogs bugging us ALL the time. I know my breed is particularly obnoxious and would nudge, push, or even climb on to my lap if I did nothing. I am sitting here typing and my dogs are in the same room as me, but they are expected to give me some personal space.

That means your puppy should be crated for short periods of time even when you are HOME - so that they learn boundary control. 1 or 2 hours a day is fine.

I have never taken the approach a dog knows best or that slow introduction of a crate will somehow make it easier or better. Put the puppy in crate, make sure its in a room well light and part of your household (your kitchen is usually where I recommend it) and then shut the door and leave the room. Do not make a fuss.

If puppy whines - ignore him. He may carry on for a bit, do not reward that behavior. The MINUTE the puppy is quiet you may walk up to the crate and open the door and take him out. Again, - no big deal - no fuss, make it just an ordinary routine.

I emphasize that puppy should not be crated for hours on end, and obviously exercised and played with - and a puppy that is tired, and well exercised will be more content to be crated, but if the only time you put a dog in a cage is when you want to leave the house- the dog has no boundary controls and when you want to move that puppy out of the crate and into the house full time you will find it more difficult.

Research NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free)

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You are always going to get people like Willow who believe a dog in a crate is being deprived of life. Its this kind of thinking that puts more dogs in the pound every year with chewing and house soiling - the NUMBER one reason for dog surrender.

The single biggest benefit of a crate for a dog is the dog is not PUNISHED CONSTANTLY for doing something that the owner deems wrong - but the dog cannot possibly understand. Chewing a table leg, or carpet - or soiling on a floor - these are all things young dogs do. Punishment after the fact creates more anxiety and more problems.

My dogs are crated until about 6 months - then they are given limited freedom by putting baby gates in the kitchen and confined in the kitchen during the day when I`m out. Depending on the dog - that might remain for a couple of years.

I have two adult dogs now that have access to then entire floor of the house - they won`t steal garbage even when a bag is sitting there. and won`t chew, or do anything. And I`ve never punished them after the fact or used an ecollar - or other punitive method. They are happy and well adjusted because they grew up in a crate - and they were always rewarded for making the right choice.

Put your dog in a situation he is ALWAYS right - and he will develop more confidence. Having a dog in a crate in the kitchen means the dog can be near you when you prepare food and are eating, but the counter surfing, the garbage raiding, all these things are avoided.

Also important to note is crates are not the only tool you use - I also use a leash and obedience and give the dog gradual freedom daily - from puppyhood - so its not just crate the dog - its active supervision when the dog is out of the crate to teach it manners on what the dog is expected to know for life.

When my dogs reach about 4 months, they are either tied to a door or some other large object and told `down stay`on a matt or bed. This becomes `their space`out of the crate - and I move that matt or bed around the house . If puppy chews the lead or cannot handle the freedom of being in the room without getting into trouble, puppy is put in crate without punishment. Then I try again in another week or so.

Even now, at 9 years of age, my GSD knows when I put a matt down - its her spot. It comes in handly when I travel or visit others because the dog will always gravitate to its own spot. The `spot`in the kitchen by the door is where they always go when I`m eating and its become routine and habit. Dogs are happiest in a routine where they know what you want.

Its a progressive and gradual approach to giving freedom to a dog that avoids punishment and ensures the dog has a clear message on what is expected.

Leave him in it. Try feeding him in it. He will eventually get used to it. I have crate trained every one of my 5 dogs and plenty before these. They whine for awhile. When they were little i would put the crate beside my bed so I could put my hand down and let them know I was still there. It is not cruel to crate train them. Dogs in the wild live in dens, they are raised from puppies to go outside the crate to use the bathroom. You might try putting in an old towel or clothing that smells like you, or a toy or two to chew on. But dont let him out when he whines. I had to pop the top of the crate a couple times on a couple of my dogs to get them to stop whining, but they will eventually get used to it. Two of my dogs are Labs the biggest chewers ever. They were crated every night and when we left the house for the first two years of their lives. They dont use them anymore, but I still have one up because they will go in it from time to time when the house gets to noisy or they want to just chill out. I would also give them a treat when they went in their "room". Just stick with it you will be a lot happier in the end and so will your furniture and things he will chew up if you let him have his way. Just be patient, if his whining bothers you too much try moving his crate to another end of the house where you may not be able to hear it. He will eventually stop. Getting treats in there and feeding them in there helps make them warm up to the idea a little faster. Plus dogs wont pee or poop were they sleep. Also I dont know what kind of crate you bought, but the wire open ones seem to work better than the closed in airplane carrier crates do. Good luck with your puppy. I hope this helps some. You might want to invest in some ear plugs. LOL

With using a crate, for me, it's all about timing. You can't just put a puppy who is full of energy in a crate without him kicking off. Set the crate up in the living room, of where you are most of the daytime, covering the top and three sides and leaving the door open. That way he should start to use his crate as any other dog bed, going in there to nap. This means he'll get used to being in there without being shut in. When you need to do other things - nobody can supervise 24/7 - play with him so he's a bit tired at least, take him outside to empty, and bring him back to his crate with a couple of biscuits to go in after, and shut the door. Yes he'll complain at first, but if you have timed it right, he should settle down for a nap. And then you can get other things done, perhaps go out for a couple of hours. No longer. Puppies should not be crated for longer, other than overnight. Adults shouldn't be crated for longer than 4 hours during the daytime either, without at least the opportunity to get out and empty.

Just be aware, not all dogs take to being shut in a crate and in that case, you may have to make another safe area for him to be, when you can't supervise him.

Add - Dogs don't normally hate their crates provided being in there hasn't been abused. My two who are now 3 and 4 years, still sleep in their crates at night, and line up to go in there at bedtime. Hardly hating them I suggest.

Make it nice for him, so he feels comfortable in it.

Let him have toys in there to keep him occupied, but only let him have certain toys in the crate that he's doesn't have anywhere else, or a kong or something, so he thinks it's good to be in there, and these are his special crate toys.

He's bound to cry if he's not used to being in there, so just start doing it for a short amount of time when you're at home, gradually getting longer and longer.

He'll soon be fine with it.

Your pup is crying because he misses you and doesn’t want to be locked in a crate. Dogs are highly social pack animals who hate being alone and want and need companionship, praise, and exercise. Crating is cruel because it deprives dogs of all these things and can lead to behavioral problems. Read more here: http://www.peta.org/about/why-peta/crating-dogs.as...

It is much kinder to puppy-proof the house by covering or moving cords and other hazards out of your dog’s reach. Using positive reinforcement to train your dog to chew only on his toys, hiring someone to come play with him and let him out when you can’t be home, and using baby gates to keep him in a safe area of the house temporarily are much kinder and will eliminate the need to lock up your puppy.

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://bitly.im/aMOOP

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Owning a bull terrier, a crate is a must have. Keeps em safe. Never had a problem. My first girl loved it, used to go in and rock it, growl then fall asleep. No dog should stay in there long. Don't feel guilty, just use one. Good luck.

Give him time all my dogs were crate trained and i use the crate all the time .